Department of Health and Social Care

Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco: Sales

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if a Minister from her Department will visit Darlington to hold discussions with (a) the Police and (b) Trading Standards on the joint steps they are taking to help tackle the sale of illegal vapes and illicit tobacco.

Andrea Leadsom: Ministers in the department are always happy to consider meetings and visits to understand the impact of their policy areas, and we recommend reaching out to Ministers’ offices directly.A strong approach to enforcement is vital if the smokefree generation policy is to have real impact. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care recently visited a cargo warehouse at Heathrow Airport with Hillingdon Trading Standards to see first-hand the work they are doing to seize illicit vapes at the border, and prevent these products from being sold in the United Kingdom.Underage and illicit sales of tobacco products, and more recently vaping products, is undermining the work the Government is doing to regulate the industry and protect public health. It also deprives the UK of vital money that could be used to fund essential public services, instead, putting it in the hands of criminals.This is why alongside the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are supporting enforcement agencies with up to £30 million a year, to scale up their existing activities. This increased investment will help to stamp out criminal activity by boosting enforcement capacity, and help local trading standards tackle underage sales at a local level. Of this funding, over £100 million over five years will support HM Revenue and Custom’s and Border Force’s new illicit tobacco strategy. As is the case with existing age of sale legislation, breaches of the new law will primarily be dealt with by local authority trading standards, rather than by local police forces.

Ovarian Cancer: Diagnosis

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department plans to shorten the diagnostic pathway for ovarian cancer by allowing the CA125 blood test and ultrasound to be undertaken at the same time.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department is supporting NHS England in developing Best Practice Timed pathways, to support the ongoing improvement effort to shorten diagnosis pathways, reduce variation, improve patient experience of care, and meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard. This standard ensures patients are told they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out, within 28 days of urgent cancer referral from general practice or screening service.In March 2023, NHS England published guidance for local health and care systems to implement a timed gynaecological cancer diagnostic pathway, including for ovarian cancer. The gynaecological pathway ensures that at day zero, when presenting with symptoms, an ultrasound and a minimum data set is obtained, which includes a full blood count. For patients with suspected ovarian cancer, the minimum dataset should also include tumour marker CA125, with confirmation of suspicious features of ovarian cancer on ultrasound.The guidance further ensures that patients with persistent abdominal symptoms, raised CA125, and a normal pelvic scan should be referred through the non-specific symptoms rapid diagnostic centre pathway. Women over 50 years old with elevated CA125 and palpable mass or ascites, or both, or with a previous ultrasound with risk of malignancy, should be referred straight to a computed tomography scan.

Agency Nurses: Expenditure

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS England spent on agency nurses in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stephenson: The amount spent on agency nurses by year for each of the last five years is set out in the table below.Financial YearAgency (nursing) spend2018-19£843 million2019-20£879 million2020-21£838 million2021-22£1.1 billion2022-23£1.37 billion The Long Term Workforce Plan sets out a path to reduce the National Health Service’s reliance on agency. We estimate that the reliance on temporary staffing in FTE terms will reduce from 9% in 2021/22 to around 5% from 2032/33 onwards, with mostly bank staff fulfilling the requirement for temporary staffing.

Department of Health and Social Care: Fraud and Maladministration

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by her Department in each of the last three financial years.

Andrew Stephenson: Fraud and error losses in the Department for each of the last three financial years are shown in the table: PeriodDetected fraud (£m)Detected error (£m)2020/21£3.01£1.512021/22£10.43£77.352022/23£46.07£1.59Notes:Figures shown in this table are gross losses that do not include monies subsequently recovered as a result of loss recovery activity.Over the corresponding 3 year period £65.95m was recovered, this figure does not relate directly to the loss figures shown in the table as recovery action may involve funds lost over multiple years.Figures are rounded to two decimal points.

Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to provide the same (a) terms and conditions and (b) job evaluation systems to (i) Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates and (ii) junior doctors.

Andrew Stephenson: The role of medical associates is to work with and support doctors and not to replace them. Physician Associates, Anaesthesia Associates, and doctors in training are employed under different contractual arrangements. Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates are employed on the Agenda for Change (AfC) contract. Doctors in training follow a distinct medical training pathway, and are employed on the NHS Doctors and Dentists in Training (2016) contract.The National Health Service contracts reflect the different needs of different members of the workforce, and are managed by different collective bargaining structures. The AfC contract is managed by the NHS Staff Council and is underpinned by the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme. There is no equivalent job evaluation scheme for doctors and dentists’ terms and conditions.There are currently no plans for Physician Associates, Anaesthesia Associates, and doctors in training to be employed under the same terms and conditions, with the same job evaluation system.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of patients (a) waiting for mental healthcare and (b) on NHS waiting lists for physical conditions who are also waiting for mental healthcare.

Maria Caulfield: There is currently no waiting times standard covering all mental health service areas. For services where a waiting times standard does exist, the latest position over the period from November 2023 to January 2024 was published by NHS England on 14 March 2024. Information on routine and urgent referrals to children and young people’s eating disorder services and referrals to the early Intervention in Psychosis pathway is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-services-monthly-statistics/performance-january-2024 Information on referrals to NHS Talking Therapies is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-monthly-statistics-including-employment-advisors/performance-january-2024 For referrals to adult community mental health services waiting for a second contact, referrals to children and young people’s community mental health services waiting for a first contact and Accident & Emergency attendances for mental health or self-harm, information is being collected to prepare for the proposed new waiting time standards being developed as part of the Clinically-led review of National Health Service access standards but these are NOT yet associated with a target. The latest position over the period from November 2023 to January 2024 is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-services-monthly-statistics/performance-january-2024Information on the number of patients on NHS waiting lists for physical conditions who are also waiting for mental healthcare is not held centrally. Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are expanding and transforming NHS mental health care so that more people can get the support that they need more quickly. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, the NHS forecasts that spending on mental health services has increased by £4.6 billion in cash terms, compared to the target of £3.4 billion in cash terms set out at the time of the NHS Long Term Plan. All integrated boards are also on track to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard in 2023/24.

Gender Dysphoria: Medical Treatments

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what further steps she plans to take to ensure that clinicians operating in (a) the NHS and (b) private practice adhere to the NHS clinical guideline not recommending puberty suppressing hormones as a routine commissioning option for the treatment of children and adolescents who have gender incongruence or dysphoria.

Maria Caulfield: We have always been clear that children’s safety and well-being is paramount, so we welcome this landmark decision by the National Health Service. Ending the routine prescription of puberty blockers will help ensure that care is based on evidence, expert clinical opinion and is in the best interests of the child.We expect the private sector to follow suit. There are no private providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to prescribe puberty blockers to children under the age of 16. If a private organisation registered with the CQC fails to meet the conditions of its registration, then the regulator can take enforcement action.

Ministry of Defence

Chinook Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Capability boost for UK's global military operations as contract confirmed for new Chinooks, published on 14 March 2024, if he will publish a breakdown of the estimated £151 million of extra investment to the economy.

James Cartlidge: This is commercially sensitive due to ongoing negotiations within the US Government's Foreign Military Sales arrangements.

Ministry of Defence: Written Questions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December to Question 7162 on Air Force: Military Aircraft, when he plans to send the response letter to the Rt hon. Member for Garston and Halewood.

James Cartlidge: I responded to the right hon. Member on 22 March 2024.

Type 26 Frigates: Iron and Steel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2023 to Question 140032 on Type 26 Frigates: Iron and Steel, what the grades of UK-produced steel purchased for the (a) Batch 1 Type 26 and (b) Type 31 frigates were, broken down by (i) each order’s classification under the SAE grading system and (ii) the value and tonnage of each of those orders.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to question 14479 answered on 5 March 2024.Fleet Solid Support Ships: Iron and Steel (docx, 15.2KB)

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the impact of each additional 0.5% of GDP spent on defence up to 3% of GDP on (a) force readiness and (b) levels of recruitment to the armed forces.

James Cartlidge: It is not possible to provide this information as the Department does not undertake its planning activity in this way.

Defence Equipment & Support: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the electronic warfare and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the air, space, command, control and defence team at Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the special projects team at Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the future capability group at Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March.

James Cartlidge: The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed within the Electronic Warfare and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear, the Air, Space, Command, Control and Defence, the Special Projects and the Future Capability Group delivery teams in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the table below. The figures include civilian and military employees and workforce substitutes. Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY. Financial YearElectronic Warfare and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and NuclearAir, Space, Command, Control and Defence,Special ProjectsFuture Capability Group2018-1987.37Team did not exist186.946.362019-20208.07Team did not exist200.1688.192020-21225.47Team did not exist246.2496.832021-22245.2435.14252.1594.812022-23249.236.06223.2112.61

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the domain commercial (a) air and (b) ships team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the air support commercial team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the combat air commercial team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the ships commercial team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the land equipment commercial team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the weapons commercial team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the helicopters commercial team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the integrated battlespace commercial team in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the Logistics Delivery Commercial Team at Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 21 March.

James Cartlidge: The number of Full Time Equivalent employed in the commercial teams requested, in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the tables below. The figures include civilian and military employees, and workforce substitutes. Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY.  FYAir and Ships DomainAir SupportCombat AirLand EquipmentWeaponsHelicopters2018-19880.62019-20915.252020-21874.19  FYShips DomainAir Domain / SupportCombat AirLand EquipmentWeaponsHelicopters2021-22196.19187.64284.712022-23208.3183.28336.1  Commercial people for the above areas are deployed across DE&S, into different teams, as and when required. The data provided above is the most detailed information available.Financial YearIntegrated battlespace commercialLogistics delivery commercial2018-19Team did not existTeam did not exist2019-202020-212021-22115.6543.892022-23115.9440.33

Defence Equipment & Support: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the future maritime platforms team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the naval ships support team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the maritime combat systems team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the marine systems support team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the boats team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: The number of Full Time Equivalent employed in the teams requested, in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the table below. The figures include civilian and military employees, and workforce substitutes. Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY. Financial YearFuture Maritime PlatformsNaval Ships SupportMaritime Combat SystemsMarine Systems SupportBoats2018-19161.61163.64262.17277.55n/a2019-20204.78187.4281.98268.13n/a2020-21203.58188.28283.22263.7644.992021-22290.62247.58327.55285.9850.432022-23309.82272.65324.95301.1750.33  The Boats team did not exist prior to FY 2020-21, therefore the FTE figures are not available.

Chinook Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled Capability boost for UK's global military operations as contract confirmed for new Chinook, published by his Department on 14 March 2024, whether his Department plans to retire older models of Chinook helicopters.

James Cartlidge: 14 of the oldest Chinook helicopters from the existing fleet will be retired as the 14 new Chinook ER aircraft are introduced to service.

Chinook Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled Capability boost for UK's global military operations as contract confirmed for new Chinook, published by his Department on 14 March 2024, what the £300 million reduction in costs includes; and how this will be achieved.

James Cartlidge: The £300 million reduction in cost is derived from more detailed planning between the UK, the US Government and Boeing. This includes refinements in capability requirements, maturation of costs, and programme risk adjustments.

Chinook Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled Capability boost for UK's global military operations as contract confirmed for new Chinook, published by his Department on 14 March 2024, when the first new Chinook helicopter will be delivered.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones) on 14 March 2024 to Question 18680.Chinook Helicopters: Procurement (docx, 14.6KB)

Chinook Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled Capability boost for UK's global military operations as contract confirmed for new Chinook, published by his Department on 14 March 2024, what the cost is of the 14 new Chinook helicopters.

James Cartlidge: The Chinook Extended Range Programme has an Approved Budgetary Level of £1.5 billion. Final costs will be subject to the conclusion of negotiations with the US Government and Boeing, and variance throughout the life of the programme in common with all FMS cases.

Defence Equipment & Support: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the international relations group in Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 as of 20 March 2024.

James Cartlidge: The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed within the International Relations Group in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the table below. The figures include civilian and military employees and workforce substitutes. Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY. Financial YearInternational Relations Group2018-1913.92019-2013.32020-2117.62021-2226.62022-2329.4

Dstl: Costs

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the advanced materials programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the AI programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Air Systems programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the autonomy programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the communications and networks programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the crime and policing programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the cyber security programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Defence Science and Technology Futures programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the deterrent and submarines systems programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the electromagnetic activities programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Future Kinetic Effects and Weapons programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Future Sensing programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on Future Workforce and Training programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the High Level Decision Support programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Human Performance and Protection programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Hypersonics programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: Dstl works with industry, academia and Government to make sure the UK has the right defence science and technology capabilities, and to deliver work for our customers in the Ministry of Defence and the rest of Government. Dstl provides summary information on its Science and Technology Programmes on its website to inform the public of the nature of the work it is undertaking. Detailed Programme costs cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.

Ministry of Justice

Family Conciliation Services

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2024 to Question 18955 on Family Conciliation Services, whether his Department monitors the number of therapists offering reunification therapy services in England and Wales who help with cases of family breakdown.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of therapists offering reunification therapy in England and Wales.

Cabinet Office

50:50 Parliament

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has provided funding to 50:50 Parliament in the last five years.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office finance system does not show any transactions to 50:50 Parliament in the last five years, including grants issued by the department. The Cabinet Office does not hold financial data for other departments.

King Charles III: Art Works

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will extend the offer of a free portrait of King Charles to churches.

Alex Burghart: The Government does not currently have any plans to extend the offer of a free portrait of The King to churches or other places of worship.The UK Government launched an Official Portrait scheme in November 2023 to enable certain Public Authorities across the UK to apply for a free, framed official portrait of His Majesty The King for display in their buildings.The scheme is ongoing and is due for completion by mid year 2024. His Majesty’s accession has marked the beginning of a new reign and the UK Government considers it is right that public authorities, as part of the fabric of our nation, have the opportunity to commemorate this moment, strengthen civil pride and reflect the new era in our history.A portrait will be available for purchase in due course for those not eligible for this scheme and details will be communicated at the time.

Drugs: Misuse

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate she has made of the number of illegal drug related deaths in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

John Glen: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman Parliamentary Question of 21st March is attached. UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 109.3KB)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Council Housing: Demolition

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many local authority owned buildings under 11 metres are being considered for demolition as a result of the costs to remediate life-critical fire safety defects.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of fire risk appraisal of external wall construction assessments that stated that building safety remediation work is required for a building under 11 metres have had an audit by his Department (a) commissioned and (b) completed since June 2022.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the average length of time taken was between (a) a leaseholder or building owner notifying his Department of a building under 11 metres with a fire risk appraisal of external wall construction assessment stating that building safety remediation work is required and (b) an audit being completed, in the latest period for which that information is available.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on how many under 11 metre buildings require building safety remediation work according to a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls audited by his Department; and of those buildings, how many have had confirmation that the fire-safety defects will be remediated and paid for by the developer.

Lee Rowley: Following the passing of the Building Safety Act, we sought representations from leaseholders in buildings under 11 metres who believed there were building safety concerns. Potential issues with 160 buildings have been raised with the department so far.Having reviewed the cases raised with us, 31 required Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) audits, which we have commissioned and 27 of those audits have been completed. In many cases, the concerns raised with us were found either not to be building safety remediation issues or works were not actually proposed by the freeholder.With regards to the average time taken for the audit to be completed by the department, this will depend upon how quickly the relevant information for the audit to proceed is received. Audits are dependent on the information from third parties like the resident, freeholder or managing agent. Where a FRAEW is provided, our assessor will usually complete an audit within two weeks.To date, our audits have found that only three buildings under 11 metres require remediation.We are in conversation with building owners and developers about funding solutions that protect leaseholders. We stress that the responsibility for the costs of fixing historical building safety defects should rest with building owners. They should not pass these costs on to leaseholders but should seek to recover costs from those who were responsible for building unsafe homes.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Landscape Recovery Scheme

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of hectares of land managed by each applicant to the Landscape Recovery scheme.

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of applicants to the Landscape Recovery scheme were entering land on which they are (a) tenants and (b) owners.

Mark Spencer: Landscape Recovery offers farmers and land managers the opportunity to co-design a bespoke, long-term agreement to produce environmental and climate goods whilst supporting environmentally sustainable domestic food production across landscape-scale projects. Landscape Recovery Round 1 supports 22 projects. Project areas range between 500 and 5,000 hectares, covering a total of over 40,000 hectares. Round 2 is expected to support 34 projects, covering a total of over 200,000 hectares. Rounds 1 and 2 include over 250 and over 700 land managers, respectively. The majority of projects currently in Round 1 involve at least one tenant, and it is expected that over three quarters of Round 2 projects will include tenants. We want to make Landscape Recovery work in a range of contexts, especially where there is a diversity of land managers. We are closely monitoring how the scheme works for tenants in light of the findings and recommendations of the Rock Review. We have a legal duty to assess the impact of all our Environmental Land Management schemes, including Landscape Recovery, on food production. All Landscape Recovery projects are required to assess their impact on food production in detail during the project development phase. We also introduced a food production criterion at the application phase in Round 2, through which we assessed how bidders were taking into consideration food production in their plans, mitigating any negative impact where possible and supporting sustainable food production.

Tree Planting

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of trees have been planted in each year since 2005.

Rebecca Pow: The Forestry Commission produces a time series of statistics on all new planting of woodland for the UK. These can be found in Forestry Statistics on the Forest Research website. These statistics are reported for each financial year in thousands of hectares. The latest available figures are for 2022-23 published in September 2023.

Wheat: Agriculture

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) promote sustainable and regenerative wheat farming practices.

Mark Spencer: We understand the increasing importance of farmers having access to crop varieties that are resistant to climate change and variable weather conditions, to maintain crop quality and yields. The recent Precision Breeding Act is a major step in unlocking growth and innovation in technologies like gene editing and supports Defra’s efforts to reinforce food security in the face of climate change. Through the Act we want to encourage researchers and commercial breeders to be at the forefront of capturing the potential benefits of precision breeding for British farmers and consumers. For instance, research into wheat that is resilient to climate change is currently underway at the John Innes Centre. Gene editing techniques have been used to identify a key gene in wheat that can be used to introduce traits such as heat resilience whilst maintaining high yield.  This could help to increase food production from a crop that 2.5 billion people are dependent on globally. Our Genetic Improvement Networks also provide a platform for knowledge exchange for breeders, producers, end users and the research base, and a means for the delivery of scientific knowledge, resources and results to add value to UK crops. The £270 million Farming Innovation Programme supports industry-led research and development in agriculture and horticulture. All projects support productivity and environmental outcomes that will benefit farmers and growers in England. In our latest ‘climate smart’ farming themed competition, we awarded over £11 million to projects investigating novel approaches to growing and managing crops. Previous competitions have also supported crop-related research.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack were sampled by his Department for (a) length and (b) sex in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (i) VI and (ii) VII in 2023.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not sampled pollack from Area VI.a) In 2023, 3726 pollack length measurements were made by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.b) It is not possible to provide data on sex as fish are gutted when sampled in markets and examination of gonads is required to accurately determine sex.

Agriculture: Water

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the minimum investment requirement for the Water Management grant.

Mark Spencer: Our grant offers are kept under review between rounds. We will be reviewing the Water Management Grant ahead of a further round expected to be launched later this year. As part of this review, my officials will be looking at the minimum grant and whether it needs to be adjusted.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were analysed by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2019.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not analysed pollack otolith bones from Area VI. In 2023, 778 otolith bones were analysed by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were analysed by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2020.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not analysed pollack otolith bones from Area VI. In 2020, 732 otolith bones were analysed by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

Dogs: Theft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to address dog thefts in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

Mark Spencer: We fully understand the devastating impact the theft of a pet can have, which is why in 2016 we made it compulsory to microchip all pet dogs in England and have extended this legislation to include cats from 10 June 2024. On 29 March, we published the Government’s response to a consultation on cat and dog microchipping that sets out how we will address a number of recommendations made in the Pet Theft Taskforce report. This includes developing a new single point of search portal to make it easier to search compliant databases for a microchip record and strengthening the process for changing keepership. We are also already supporting Anna Firth’s Pet Abduction Bill through parliament. This Private Member’s Bill is looking to introduce new offences for dog and cat abduction. Alongside this, police forces are working together to better coordinate and share best practice and advice on the steps owners can take to protect their pets. This package of measures will help protect dogs and cats across England, including in the Romford constituency.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were collected by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2019.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not collected pollack otolith bones from Area VI. In 2019, 781 otolith bones were collected by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were collected by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2021.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not collected pollack otolith bones from Area VI. In 2021, 825 otolith bones were collected by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were collected by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2022.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not collected pollack otolith bones from Area VI. In 2022, 660 otolith bones were collected by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

Thames Water: Standards

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure the (a) continuity and (b) quality of water services for people served by Thames Water.

Robbie Moore: Whilst the Government recognises Thames Water needs to take significant steps to improve its performance, Thames Water nonetheless provides some of the highest quality drinking water in the world along with other water companies in England. Regulators ensure that companies have yearly performance commitment targets for continuity and quality of supply and hold companies to account when these targets are not reached. Government Ministers will shortly be meeting with Thames Water to reassert the importance of meeting all targets set by the regulators and ensure no customer is affected by failure to do so.

Water Supply

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with regulators to (a) safeguard the interests of consumers and (b) help ensure the financial stability of the water sector.

Robbie Moore: The five yearly Price Review process is currently underway for the period 2025-30, in which Ofwat sets an overall cap on the total amount that each water company may recover from their customers. As part of this process, Ofwat balances the interests of consumers with the ability of companies to finance the delivery of their services. Regarding safeguarding consumer interests, Government is mindful consumers are concerned about their bills. For this reason, Defra expects all water companies to make customers aware of available support, including WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks, and debt management assistance. We are continuing to work with industry to explore options to improve existing social tariff arrangements and welcome the planned household charging trials in 2024-25. Regarding financial stability, Ofwat assesses and monitors the financial resilience of each company on an individual and ongoing basis and challenges companies where they identify this is needed. As part of this work, Ofwat produces an annual ‘Monitoring Financial Resilience Report’ to provide a publicly available assessment of the financial resilience of each water company. Through this publication, Ofwat aims to promote a focus on efficient investment that secures long-term resilience and delivers long-term value for money for customers and the environment.

Zane Gbangbola

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of opening an independent public inquiry with full powers to compel disclosure into the death of Zane Gbangbola in 2014.

Robbie Moore: The Surrey Senior Coroner has already carried out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Zane Gbangbola’s death, taking into account a considerable amount of evidence.  The Coroner, as an independent judicial office holder, drew his own conclusions based on this evidence. If there is a belief that the evidence was not considered properly during the original inquest, or that there is new evidence available, the correct process is for an application to be made to the Attorney General asking her to apply to the High Court to quash the inquest and order a fresh investigation. The High Court would take this course of action if it believed that it would be in the interests of justice. I believe that this remains the proper process to follow. An assessment of the merits of an inquiry should be made at the appropriate time if, and when, the legal processes have been exhausted.

Inland Waterways: Pollution Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with relevant authorities to improve the condition of waterways in (a) Romford constituency and (b) the UK.

Robbie Moore: The Government is committed to improving the condition of waterways in England as set out in our Plan for Water published in April 2023. The Plan for Water marks a step-change in how we manage our waters. It is delivering more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement to tackle pollution and clean up our water. With respect to the Romford constituency, the Environment Agency is working collaboratively with partners within the Roding, Beam and Ingrebourne Catchment Partnership to improve the water quality and biodiversity of waterbodies. This includes carrying out river maintenance work such as vegetation management, operational checks on flood defence assets, treatment of invasive non-native species, bridge inspections, and inspection and maintenance of public safety measures. The Environment Agency also worked closely with the local council to form the rivers policy in their Local Plan, which now influences developments adjacent to Havering's rivers and river corridors.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were collected by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2020.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not collected pollack otolith bones from Area VI. In 2020, 739 otolith bones were collected by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

River Test: Ammonia and E. coli

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to monitor levels of (a) ammonia and (b) e-coli in the River Test.

Robbie Moore: The Environment Agency (EA) has deployed a real time Water Quality monitor both upstream and downstream of Fullerton storm overflow in February 2024. The real time monitor is providing data on the ammonium levels in the river Test. Data from upstream and downstream is being collected and analysed regarding the impact on the overall water quality of the river along with other parameters such as turbidity. The EA has confirmed that there is no requirement to monitor e-coli in this instance as the ammonium data is the key indicator of water quality that may be compromised by organic material from an anthropogenic process, entering the watercourse.

Southern Water: Infrastructure

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Southern Water on updating its sewage infrastructure, in the context of recent sewage discharges into the River Test.

Robbie Moore: The Secretary of State has regular engagement with water companies to discuss a range of issues including measures to reduce sewage discharges, and improvements to water company infrastructure.For example, in December 2023, he wrote to all water company Chief Executives, requesting that they improve sewer maintenance programmes over the next twelve months to help prevent storm overflow discharges. Southern Water’s forward investment plan for sewage infrastructure, including planned improvements near the Test, is detailed in their draft business plan for the next Price Review period, which will run from 2025 - 2030. This is currently being reviewed by Ofwat. Ofwat’s determination will be issued later this year.

Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the challenges faced by local authorities to properly dispose of disposable vapes.

Robbie Moore: Earlier this year, Defra published a report outlining the environmental concerns of disposable vapes. These products are an inefficient use of resources, are frequently disposed of incorrectly, can be harmful when littered and are difficult and costly to recycle. That is why on 29 January the Government confirmed that we would introduce a ban on single-use vapes. Draft regulations for the ban were published on 11 March with a proposed coming into force date of 1 April 2025 pending parliamentary procedures.

Flood Control: Finance

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the flood and coastal erosion risk management budget has been (a) allocated and (b) spent in each of the last four years.

Robbie Moore: In March 2020, the Government doubled its investment in flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. We are in the third year of this Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management investment programme. Since April 2021, approximately £1.5 billion of this funding has been invested in over 200 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 71,000 properties. The table summarises the amount of flood and coastal erosion risk management budget that has been spent in each of the last 4 years: 2015-2021 Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Investment Programme2021-2027 Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management ProgrammeApril 2019 to March 2020April 2020 to March 2021April 2021 to March 2022April 2022 to March 2023Grant in Aid expenditure (millions)£ 501£ 610£ 742£ 754 Defra publishes central government expenditure figures for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) annually on gov.uk. Funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This publication shows both resource and capital spend on FCERM for each financial year since 2005/06, as well as indicative allocations for the following financial year.

Water Companies: Investment Income

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total dividends paid to shareholders by water companies in each year since 2010.

Robbie Moore: Based on data from Ofwat the total dividends paid to shareholders by water companies in England between 2010 and April 2022 amounts to just under £23.4 billion. In each year since privatisation, investment has been greater than dividends paid. We are clear water companies must not profit from environmental damage and through the Environment Act 2021 have given Ofwat increased powers that will better enable them to hold companies to account for their performance. Using these powers, Ofwat introduced a new licence condition last year to require companies to demonstrate dividends are linked to performance for customers and the environment. Ofwat now intends to issue updated guidance to provide greater clarity on how it assesses companies' dividend decisions and compliance with their licence. This will include a clear reminder that companies carefully consider serious criminal breaches of the law when taking account of their performance and potential dividend payments. Where this guidance is not followed, Ofwat will not hesitate to undertake enforcement action.

Water Companies: Debt Collection

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department provides guidance to water companies on best practice for debt collection.

Robbie Moore: Guidance on best practice for debt collection by water companies was published in May 2022 by Ofwat, the independent economic regulator, in its Paying Fair Guidelines. These guidelines include best practice principles and minimum expectations for the provision of support to customers who are in debt and to those who are facing debt recovery action.

Housing: Flood Control

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2023-24 on Resilience to flooding, HC 71, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) location of housing developments (i) allocated in local plans and (ii) given planning consent that will not take place due to the reduction in the number of properties to be protected by new flood defence projects.

Robbie Moore: The Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. Where development needs to be in locations where there is a risk of flooding as alternative sites are not available, local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime, and will not increase flood risk overall. In March 2020, the Government doubled its investment in flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. Since April 2021, over £1.5 billion has been invested in over 200 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 71,000 properties. Delivery is the Government’s key priority, and we are working with the Environment Agency to review the programme in light of the impacts of inflation and the pandemic. More information will be available in due course.

Rivers: Pollution

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by what criteria he grades the cleanliness of rivers.

Robbie Moore: The cleanliness of rivers in England is graded through the assessment of their ecological and chemical status as set out here: River basin planning process overview - 3. Defining and describing the water environment - Guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)).

Sewage: Rivers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects sewage releases into (a) the River Foss, (b) the River Ouse and (c) their tributaries to stop.

Robbie Moore: The Government is clear that the amount of sewage currently being discharged into our waters is unacceptable. Through the government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce the use of storm overflows. Our Plan will eliminate ecological harm from all storm sewage discharges by 2050. In 2023 the Environment Agency carried out 17 targeted compliance inspections of Yorkshire Water’s waste-water treatment works which discharge into the Foss/Ouse and their tributaries. Within the current Price Review Period, which runs from 2020 to 2025, Yorkshire Water will be improving Hutton and Stillington treatment works, which discharge into the Foss catchment, in order to ensure they comply with requirements under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). These improvements should reduce Phosphorus from the final effluent, and drive improvement of the WFD status.

Sewage: Repairs and Maintenance

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will issue guidance to (a) local authorities and (b) water companies on their obligations to enforce sewage misconnection rectifications where the property owner does not rectify the faults as requested.

Robbie Moore: Under Section 59 of the Building Act 1984, local authorities can require property owners to rectify unsatisfactory drainage. If a property owner fails to act, the local authority can carry out the works itself and then recover its costs. The Secretary of State and his officials regularly meet with water companies to discuss their obligations, including around drainage performance.

Flood Control: Finance

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the total flood and coastal risk management budget has been allocated to each (a) region, (b) constituency and (c) local authority.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the total flood and coastal risk management budget has been spent in each (a) region, (b) constituency and (c) local authority.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the amount and proportion of the total flood and coastal risk management budget that has been allocated but not spent in each (a) region, (b) constituency and (c) local authority.

Robbie Moore: In March 2020, the Government doubled its investment in flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. We are in the third year of this Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management investment programme. Since April 2021, approximately £1.5 billion of this funding has been invested in over 200 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 71,000 properties. Below is a table which shows the actual spend between 2021 and 2023, the allocation between 2023 and 2025, and an indicative allocation from 2025 to 2027 by ONS region. An indicative range is given for 2025 to 2027 because the programme is reviewed and refreshed annually as projects progress. This allows for flexibility to manage change and introduce new schemes or urgent works if necessary. Grant in Aid (Millions)Actual spendAllocationIndicative allocation rangeONS RegionApril 2021 to March 2022April 2022 to March 2023April 2023 to March 2024April 2024 to March 2025April 2025 to March 2027East Midlands£71.3£76.5£64.1£600.3£146 to £206East of England£73.7£79.2£107.0£111.9£168 to £254London£32.7£34.3£47.3£15.5£18 to £36North East£13.6£15.5£17.4£32.0£68 to £94North West£107.6£95.4£95.4£98.8£256 to £356South East£115.3£130.8£134.7£108.1£226 to £330South West£95.2£95.6£109.0£155.9£293 to £417West Midlands£37.2£35.2£36.1£40.9£67 to £99Yorkshire£128.7£114.9£104.5£117.4£246 to £350Projects in more than one ONS region£66.9£76.8  £342 to £418* * Projects in more than one ONS region indicative allocation range is inclusive of April 2023 to March 2027 Investment is allocated where the flood risk is highest and the benefits of flood resilience are the greatest. A consistent methodology is used, applying a national funding formula under the partnership funding policy, to allocate funding to schemes proposed by all risk management authorities. This ensures a fair distribution of funding based on agreed priorities, principles and needs. The availability of feasible projects also influences the distribution of investment. There are therefore no specific regional investment targets. The table attached (with data caveats) also shows the allocation and spend by local authority and constituency between 2021 and 2025. See table attached. Each year the Environment Agency also produces a summary of flood and coastal erosion risk management work carried out by risk management authorities in England. This is required under Section 18 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. When the current FCERM investment programme ends, after March 2027, the Environment Agency will publish a report with a breakdown of spending, similar to the report published in 2022 after the 2015-2021 investment programme.19369 19370 19371 Attachment (xlsx, 57.4KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Domestic Visits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions Ministers from his Department have visited (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years.

Mark Spencer: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs. Across the UK Government we are committed to delivering the best possible outcomes for all citizens, no matter where in the country they call home. All citizens contribute to the strength of the United Kingdom which is the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen.

Flood Control: Finance

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of the flood and coastal risk management budget that will be spent by 2027.

Robbie Moore: In March 2020, the government doubled its investment in flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. We are in the third year of this Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management investment programme. Since April 2021, approximately £1.5 billion of this funding has been invested in over 200 flood protection schemes, better protecting over 71,000 properties. Over £800 million will be invested in the current financial year until March 2024 and the remaining budget from the £5.2 billion investment is allocated to projects until the end of March 2027.

Sewage: Microplastics

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the average amount of microplastics present in sewage sludge.

Robbie Moore: Research has been performed to improve the understanding of microplastics in sewage sludge. Defra has contributed to the design and development of the UK Water Industry Research funded and led Chemicals Investigation Programme (CIP) in this area. While the third CIP phase, reported in 2022, estimated an average mass of microplastics in final sludge products (generated from the sewage treatment processes), it was noted there could be large differences in the estimated values, and in sludge products from different works, and between sludge product samples taken at different occasions from the same treatment works.

Water: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on improving water quality in (a) Romford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Havering.

Robbie Moore: We are committed to continue to improving water quality and are delivering the record investment, the stronger regulation and the tougher enforcement to improve our water for our own health, for nature and the economy. For example, on 20 February we announced plans to more than quadruple Environment Agency (EA) water company inspections, strengthening oversight, reducing the reliance on self-monitoring. The EA is working with Thames Water under the Water industry National Environment Programme’ (WINEP) scheme on improved monitoring for the two wastewater treatment works in Havering that discharge to the River Ingrebourne, and in Brentwood on a scheme to reduce phosphorous. Thames Water were required to install ‘Event Duration Monitoring’ (EDM) at all storm overflows on their sewerage network before the end of 2023; the two sites requiring EDM in Havering have had these since 2019. Further schemes are ongoing with Groundwork East to deliver a combined Yellowfish and Junior River Wardens project working with schools along the River Ingrebourne, with potential to expand this scheme to cover the River Rom.

River Mersey: Water

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of water in the River Mersey.

Robbie Moore: We are committed to continue to improving water quality and are delivering the record investment, the stronger regulation and the tougher enforcement to improve our water for our own health, for nature and the economy. For example, on 20 February we announced plans to more than quadruple Environment Agency (EA) water company inspections, strengthening oversight, reducing the reliance on self-monitoring. The EA has been working with United Utilities in Stockport and in the upstream catchments of the River Tame and River Goyt. Within the current investment programme (2020-2025) there are improvements due to be completed at 2 storm overflows and at 6 of the wastewater treatment works in the upstream catchments. EA has also been working with United Utilities on their investment programme for 2025-2030. The EA also have national programmes investigating persistent chemical failures and historic sources of chemicals across the Mersey catchment.

Rivers: Lincolnshire

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of water in rivers and streams in Lincolnshire.

Robbie Moore: We are committed to continue to improving water quality and are delivering the record investment, the stronger regulation and the tougher enforcement to improve our water for our own health, for nature and the economy. For example, on 20 February we announced plans to more than quadruple Environment Agency (EA) water company inspections, strengthening oversight, reducing the reliance on self-monitoring. The EA is conducting a major investigation into potential widespread non-compliance by water and sewerage companies at sewage treatment works and has issued 7 warning letters to Anglian Water this financial year for serious or significant offences. Through the Asset Management Plan (AMP), Anglian Water have an obligation to improve their water recycling centres to good ecological status under the Water Framework Directive. A total of 41 phosphorous and 3 ammonia improvements will be delivered by March 2027. A total of 56 phosphorous, 1 ammonia and 1 BOD improvements are planned between 2030-2035. In June 2023 Omex were fined £510,190 for their pollution of the River Witham. Omex have spent over £3 million in making good damage caused by their pollution, including river remediation works under the Environmental Damage Regulations. Finally, the EA also work closely with external partner organisations to deliver projects that have benefits around water quality, with regional examples including Water Friendly Farming and the Limestone Becks restoration.

Electronic Cigarettes

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vaping products were registered with the Environment Agency; how much was received by Government in UK WEEE Regulations Compliance Fees for vaping products; and if he will make an estimate of how many vaping products were (a) recycled and (b) incorrectly disposed of in each of the last five years.

Robbie Moore: Vape producers need to register with the Environment Agency under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations and report the tonnage of vapes that they place on the market each year. Prior to 2022, vapes were not reported at a product specific level; they were reported as Category 7 EEE, which encompasses all Toys, Leisure, and Sports Equipment. Therefore, within the data the Environment Agency received from registered producers, it is not possible to identify the types of products that a company handles and thus it is not possible to determine how many vaping products were reported as being placed on the market. For 2022 and 2023, the Environment Agency requested Compliance Schemes in England to submit data on the tonnage of vapes that their producer members placed on the market. For 2022, the total is 1,637 tonnes. The 2023 data is pending. Producers that register directly with the Environment Agency rather than with Compliance Schemes still include vapes within their Category 7 data, meaning the Environment Agency does not collect or hold vape specific data for direct registrants. The Government does not hold detailed data on compliance fee payments under the UK WEEE Regulations, as this is managed independently of government. Compliance fee payments are broken down by categories, laid down in the WEEE Regulations and not by individual product level. Treatment sites that recycle WEEE submit recycling data to the Environment Agency. This data is also not product specific and thus it is not possible to determine how many vaping products have been recycled. The Environment Agency does not collect or hold data on incorrect disposal of vapes.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack were sampled by his Department for (a) length and (b) sex in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (i) VI and (ii) VII in 2019.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not sampled pollack from Area VI.a) In 2019, 6709 pollack length measurements were made by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.b) It is not possible to provide data on sex as fish are gutted when sampled in markets and examination of gonads is required to accurately determine sex.

Dogs: Smuggling

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing sanctions for cases of puppy smuggling.

Mark Spencer: In August 2021, the Government launched a consultation on proposed restrictions, including enforcement measures, to the commercial import and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. We are carefully reviewing the feedback gathered from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published soon. The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations, including penalties and offences, for non-compliant commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom.

Parrots: Non-native Species

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 4 October 2022 to Question 46153 on Parrots: Non-native Species, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of ring-necked parakeets on other native wildlife.

Rebecca Pow: An assessment carried out in 2021 concluded there was sufficient evidence to warrant the inclusion of ring-necked parakeet as a target species on the General Licence to kill or take wild birds for conservation purposes.A prior risk assessment for ring-necked parakeets was published by the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat in March 2011 (See risk assessment here: RA_Psittacula_krameri_(Ring-necked_Parakeet) (nonnativespecies.org)). The conclusion of this assessment was that this species posed a medium risk (with low uncertainty), with the potential to negatively impact populations of cavity nesting birds.These risk assessments may be updated when substantive new scientific evidence is made available that could alter the outcome of the risk assessment. The assessment has already concluded that this species poses a conservation threat. Defra is not aware that there is new evidence currently that would alter the conclusion of the risk assessment. Therefore, there are no immediate plans for a re-assessment of ring-necked parakeets.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were analysed by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2023.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not analysed pollack otolith bones from Area VI. In 2023, 643 otolith bones were analysed by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

White Fish: Monitoring

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were analysed by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2022.

Mark Spencer: Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not analysed pollack otolith bones from Area VI. In 2022, 656 otolith bones were analysed by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Pakistan: Security

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic support his Department is providing to the Pakistani Government to help deescalate tensions in North Waziristan.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Pakistan faces a range of challenges to its security and stability, including terrorism. We support efforts by the Governments of Pakistan and its neighbours to constructively build stability in the region, and UK assistance to Pakistan has focussed on protecting civilians, strengthening rule of law and developing civilian counter-terror institutions.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Emma Hardy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2023 to Question 403 on Gaza: Humanitarian Aid, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of aid supplies to the Gaza strip; and what recent steps he has taken to support (a) Islamic Relief, (b) the Egyptian Red Crescent and (c) other aid agencies to deliver aid.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Palestinians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis. We trebled our aid commitment this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.We need a humanitarian pause now to allow humanitarian actors and Gazans to operate and move safely, and enable hostages to be released.We are also calling on Israel to increase access for aid through land routes and fully open Ashdod Port, scale up the Jordan corridor to the 500 trucks a week with a streamlined screening and delivery process, open a crossing in northern Gaza (Karni, Erez or a new crossing point), and increase screening capacity at Kerem Shalom and Nitzana to seven days a week and extended hours.In addition, we want to see an expansion of the types of aid allowed into Gaza and Israel authorise at least 200,000 litres of fuel per day, as well as the provision of electricity, water and telecommunications, to both the north and the south of Gaza.On 13 March the Foreign Secretary announced an additional £10 million to bring UK support to more than £100million this financial year. UK funding has supported the work of partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF and Egyptian Red Crescent Society. On 20 March the Foreign Secretary also announced that more than 2,000 tonnes of UK-funded food aid will be distributed by the World Food Programme. This will be the largest UK aid delivery so far and will support 275,000 people.

VIGINUM

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to improve cooperation with VIGINUM.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK works closely with international partners to counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) by hostile actors, including bilaterally with France and its agencies. We regularly engage with Viginum at official working level and within the G7, including through the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism, which strengthens G7 coordination to identify and respond to foreign threats to democracies. We intend to build on cooperation with G7 members over the course of 2024 on countering FIMI and will therefore be looking to continue engaging France on information threats.

Russia: Freezing of Assets

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of EU proposals to send profits generated from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We continue to work closely with allies, including the EU Commission, to explore all lawful routes by which immobilised Russian sovereign assets can be used to support Ukraine. G7 Leaders reaffirmed this on 24 February, instructing relevant ministries to continue their work to that end and report back ahead of the G7 Summit in June. We will keep the House updated as this work develops.

Gaza: Israel

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart on immediately rehabilitating (a) horticulture, (b) livestock farming, (c) fishing and (d) other food production systems in Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The international community will need to make a massive effort to deliver a reconstruction plan for Gaza.The UK is doing all it can to get as much food into Gaza as possible. We recently announced that more than 2,000 tonnes of UK-funded food aid are being distributed by the World Food Programme on the ground. This is our largest delivery of aid to Gaza in this crisis. This follows 750 tonnes of UK funded food aid arriving in Gaza in December, delivered through the World Food Programme, followed by a second delivery of 315 tonnes in January. Last month the UK and Jordan also air-dropped life-saving food and medicines directly to the Tal Al-Hawa hospital in northern Gaza.

North Korea: Sanctions

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to impose sanctions on (a) officials and (b) entities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for supplying weapons to Russia.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) export and Russia's procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles and Russia's decision to use DPRK-supplied missiles in recent attacks against Ukraine, as fifty Foreign Ministers made clear in their 9 January joint statement. The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. It also violates multiple UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) - which Russia itself voted for. On 22 February the UK designated a number of targets including Azia Shipping Company and Ibex Shipping INC, involved in the transfer of weapons from the DPRK to Russia. The UK will continue to work with our partners to hold the DPRK to account for supporting Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.

Global Partnership for Education

Munira Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps the Department has taken to support the work of the Global Partnership for Education.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Ensuring access to quality education is an FCDO priority. The UK is a founding member and top bilateral donor to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). GPE estimates that its support will help partner countries get 40 million more girls into school and support 17 million more girls to read in low and lower-middle income countries by 2025. In 2021, the UK co-hosted the Global Education Summit, helping to raise a historic $4 billion in donor pledges for GPE, including the UK's pledge of £430 million to GPE over five years. So far, the UK has disbursed £60 million in line with the FCDO Spending Review allocation.

Home Office

Nitazenes: Imports

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle the importation of nitazenes into the UK.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Department's press release entitled More synthetic opioids banned to protect communities, published on 20 March 2023, what assessment he has made of the impact of the change in legal status on the (a) spread and (b) use of these substances.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with (a) the National Crime Agency and (b) local police forces on collaboration on tackling dark net markets involved in the distribution of synthetic opioids.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how his Department plans to assess the impact of the Synthetic Opioid Taskforce on the (a) supply and (b) demand for these drugs.

Chris Philp: Tackling Class A drugs, including synthetic opioids, is a priority for the Government due to the harm caused to users, society and the economy.The HMG Synthetic Opioids Taskforce is working with partner agencies such as the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Department for Health and Social Care and the National Police Chiefs Council to deliver an evidence-based response to the level of risk posed by synthetic opioids, and implement policies to stem the demand and supply of these dangerous substances.As of 20 March, 15 dangerous synthetic opioids have come under the tightest controls as Class A drugs. An impact assessment has been published which outlines the potential impacts of the legislation, and which includes a qualitative assessment of the potential use and spread of these substances.. By controlling these substances, we anticipate an increase in public awareness of their harms and that law enforcement are able to respond to the supply and production of these drugs. To stem the supply of illicit synthetic opioids to and within the UK, the NCA, Police and Border Force are working together in a zero-tolerance approach, ensuring all lines of enquiry are prioritised and vigorously pursued. This involves mapping and targeting key offenders, including dark net markets. Dedicated teams use a range of tools and techniques generally unavailable to most investigators and we make sure they have the resources and powers they need to keep our country safe. Border Force are leading on a series of intensifications at the border to strengthen our intelligence on how these substances reach the UK. Furthermore, Home Office supports the NCA’s International Liaison Officer network and Border Force’s international work through funding posts in key transit and source countries to stop drugs from coming to the UK in the first place.

Immigration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help promote the integration of immigrants.

Tom Pursglove: All refugees and those granted protection in the UK should be able to fully integrate into British life and become self-sufficient, providing for themselves and their families, and contributing to the economy. Refugees, as well as individuals arriving through refugee resettlement schemes with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK, have access to the labour market and to mainstream benefits and services to enable their integration. We are working across Government to ensure these services meet the needs of refugees. We recognise that the ability to speak English is key to helping refugees integrate into life in England, as well as to breaking down barriers to work and career progression. The Home Office works closely with other Government departments to ensure mainstream English language provision meets the needs of refugees.

Immigration: Applications

Duncan Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2024 to Question 18307 on Immigration: Applications, whether pictures of language certificates can be used when applying for (a) citizenship and (b) settlement status.

Tom Pursglove: Pictures of language certificates can be used when applying for citizenship and settlement status. The Home Office may request original documents if they are not satisfied that the documents provided are sufficient to demonstrate that English language requirements are met.

Marriage: Passports

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason people born after 1 January 1983 are required to provide a valid passport when giving notice of marriage.

Tom Pursglove: Every person who gives notice to marry or to form a civil partnership in England and Wales must provide evidence of their given name, surname, date of birth, and nationality. A valid passport or another specified document can be used as evidence of nationality.

Shoplifting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken with relevant authorities to reduce shop lifting in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with relevant authorities to help reduce instances of car theft in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

Chris Philp: The Government recognises the significant impact theft has on businesses, communities, and consumers. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.We have recently taken significant steps to improve the police response to acquisitive crime, including car theft and shoplifting. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has made a commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) have commenced a thematic inspection on the effectiveness of police investigations which will include an assessment of how police forces are implementing the reasonable lines of enquiry commitment.The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues. The Metropolitan Police Service are represented on the Working Group and have an established vehicle crime lead.We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.In October 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan - October 2023.pdf (nbcc.police.uk). Through this Plan, all forces across England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.We are continuing to work closely with retail businesses, security representatives, trade associations and policing through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG), which meets on a quarterly basis, to ensure the response to retail crime, including shoplifting, is as robust as it can be.

Drugs: Sales

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle the sale of illegal drugs on (a) social media and (b) other websites.

Chris Philp: Drugs ruin lives and devastate communities. The Government is committed to driving down drugs supply in the UK through tough law enforcement against the sale of drugs online. Our Online Safety Act will introduce measures requiring platforms, including social media sites, to remove content relating to the sale of illegal drugs online. Under this ground-breaking piece of legislation, tech companies must proactively tackle this type of content and prevent users from being exposed to it. If they fail to comply, they risk stiff financial penalties or in the most serious cases, having their sites blocked by the independent regulator, Ofcom. The Online Safety Act delivers the government’s manifesto commitment to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. We also recognise that social media, gaming sites and other online platforms are critical enablers in the targeting, grooming and facilitation of county lines exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are developing a better understanding of how these platforms are being used and how to disrupt harmful activity. Considering other websites, the National Crime Agency, along with policing colleagues across the UK and internationally, is mapping and targeting key offenders operating online. Dedicated teams use a range of tools and techniques generally unavailable to most investigators and we make sure they have the resources and powers they need to keep our country safe. Law enforcement agencies work with internet service providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be committing offences such as selling controlled drugs. To support this, proposals are also being taken forward in the Criminal Justice Bill to create a new power enabling law enforcement to suspend IP addresses and/or domain names being used for criminal purposes. This new power will allow agencies to obtain a court order to formally request action by organisations both domestically and outside of the UK.Furthermore, the Government has commissioned the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to undertake a review into internet-facilitated drug markets. The ACMD ran a call for evidence which closed in January and expects to publish its findings later this year.

Undocumented Migrants: Aviation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of illegal immigrants who gain entry to the United Kingdom via air travel; and what steps he has taken to tackle illegal immigration to the United Kingdom via air travel.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ statistics release, available on gov.uk. Data on irregular arrivals by method of entry is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of September 2023.

Migrant Workers: Sponsorship

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many certificates of sponsorship which have been (a) suspended and (b) revoked have been successfully appealed in each year for which data is available.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office do not suspend or revoke Certificates of Sponsorship, therefore we do not hold the requested data.

Asylum: Housing

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of whether private providers responsible for running asylum accommodation are meeting their contractual requirements.

Tom Pursglove: The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect:AASC_-_Schedule_2_- _Statement_of_Requirements.pdf (parliament.uk). Home Office accommodation providers are required to visit each property at least monthly, and assurance that contractual requirements are met is tested by the Home Office Contract Assurance Team, which inspects properties and undertakes other assurance activities on an intelligence-led basis. Formal governance mechanisms are in place, to oversee performance and delivery against contractual requirements.AASC - Schedule 2 - Statement of Requirements (pdf, 1227.9KB)

Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) integrity and (b) confidentiality of digital evidence in sexual assault cases.

Laura Farris: The Government’s Rape Review highlighted the importance of digital forensics and disclosure of digital material in improving our response to sexual offences. We have legislated to put the Forensic Science Regulator (FSR) and code of practice on a statutory footing. Compliance with the FSR’s code will ensure the integrity of digital evidence presented to the courts, helping to maintain public confidence in our systems.Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022), we introduced a clear statutory basis for requesting devices from victims of crime so that information is only shared with their agreement and where necessary and proportionate and in response to a reasonable line of enquiry. This helps forces to ensure that the high standards of Data Protection Act are met when processing sensitive personal information belonging to victims of crime.We are also working across the system to ensure that police forces have the technology and capabilities they require. In 23/24, the Home Office invested £8.2m to increase capacity and speed in digital forensics, including supporting selective extraction and examination of data on digital devices to better protect victims from intrusive investigations. To drive further improvements in the response to sexual offences, we invested £9.4m in Operation Soteria, bringing together police and academics to develop a new national operating model for the investigation of rape which is currently being implemented by all police forces in England and Wales.

Migrant Workers: Sponsorship

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many certificates of sponsorship have been (a) suspended and (b) revoked in each year for which data is available.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office do not suspend or revoke Certificates of Sponsorship, therefore we do not hold the requested data.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Loneliness: Older People

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle chronic loneliness in people over the age of 65; and what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those steps.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle moderate to high-levels of social isolation experienced by some older men.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with (a) local communities and (b) voluntary organisations to combat loneliness and social isolation in (i) older men and (ii) all elderly people.

Stuart Andrew: Many people experience loneliness and social isolation, and the Government is committed to reducing the stigma associated with loneliness, and building a more connected society. Government, local councils, health systems and voluntary and community sector organisations all have an important role to play in achieving this.Since publishing the first ever government Strategy for Tackling Loneliness and appointing the world’s first Minister for Loneliness in 2018, we have invested almost £80 million in tackling loneliness. These interventions include a national communications campaign that aims to reduce the stigma of loneliness, which has reached at least 25 million people across the country. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also delivering the ‘Know Your Neighbourhood Fund’ to boost volunteering and reduce loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. We have also brought together over 750 people from across the public, private and charity sectors through our Tackling Loneliness Hub, where members can learn from events and workshops, share the latest research and collaborate on new initiatives.Last March, we published the fourth annual report of our Tackling Loneliness Strategy. It contains over 60 new and ongoing commitments from 11 government departments. So far, we have made progress against at least 46 of these commitments and at least 7 have been completed. Due to the nature of the commitments many have now been incorporated into business as usual. The fifth annual report will provide a full update on commitments, and is due to be published in May.

Department for Education

Sign Language: GCSE

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of secondary (a) mainstream and (b) maintained special schools offered British Sign Language GCSE in each of the last five years.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the provision of British Sign Language GCSE in mainstream secondary schools.

Damian Hinds: The department published British Sign Language GCSE subject content in December 2023, following a public consultation last summer. Exam boards are now able to develop detailed specifications, which must be reviewed and accredited by Ofqual before schools and colleges are able to teach them. As such, no schools are currently offering the GCSE. The department’s aim is that exam board specifications will be available to schools who wish to offer the GCSE from September 2025.

St Leonard's Catholic School

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has placed a ban on all inter-year transfers to St Leonard's Catholic School in City of Durham.

Damian Hinds: The Secretary of State for Education would not have powers to place a ban on inter-year transfers to St Leonard's Catholic School in the City of Durham. Parents can apply for a place for their child at any school at any time. An application after the start of the school year for a place in the normal year of entry (usually Year 7 in a secondary school), or for any other year group, is called an “in-year” application. The School Admissions Code sets out requirements in relation to in-year admissions. Where an application is received for a year which is not the normal year of entry, the admission authority can only refuse if the admission of another child would “prejudice the provision of efficient education or efficient use of resources”. Where in-year applications are received for the normal year of entry, the admission authority must admit children up to the Published Admission Number (PAN). If an admission authority (in this case, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Academy Trust) wishes to change the PAN for Year 7, they would need to submit a request to vary the published admission arrangements (which include the PAN) to the Secretary of State for Education.

Out-of-school Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has taken steps with relevant authorities to provide out of hours academic tutoring provision in state schools in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Damian Hinds: The department is investing over £1 billion in tutoring via its flagship National Tutoring Programme (NTP). This has seen nearly five million tutoring courses commence since the programme started in November 2020, including over two million in each of the last two academic years. In the current academic year, 346,000 courses have started up to 5 October 2023. The principal objective of the NTP is to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. In the 2023/24 academic year, schools are required to consider offering tutoring to all of their pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium. The department is continuing to recommend that schools use pupil premium funding to cover their contribution to the cost of tutoring. Pupil premium funding will rise to over £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, an increase of £80 million from 2023/24. This represents a 10% increase in per pupil rates from 2021/22 to 2024/25. The department is committed to the objective that tutoring should be embedded across schools in England following the final year of the NTP. The department will expect tutoring to continue to be a staple offer from schools, with schools using their core budgets, including pupil premium, to provide targeted support for those children who will benefit.

Education: Autism

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to make an autism assessment on educational attainment.

David Johnston: I refer my right hon. Friend, the Member for South Swindon, to the answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 18946.

Nutrition: Education

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to include information about the benefits of eating (a) wholemeal and (b) traditionally made bread in the school curriculum to promote healthier eating habits.

Damian Hinds: The government wants to support the health and well-being of everyone. The department recognises the importance of education in delivering this aim and is supporting schools in a number of ways to provide high-quality healthy eating education for their students. The department does not specify how schools should teach the curriculum. It is a framework setting out the content of what the department expects schools to cover in each subject and trusts that teachers will develop the right approach for pupils in their particular school. Cooking and nutrition are a discrete strand of the national curriculum for design and technology and is compulsory for key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. Students should become competent in a range of cooking techniques, as well as understanding the characteristics of a broad range of ingredients. The curriculum does not specify bread, but teachers may choose to include it among the foods they study. A food preparation and nutrition GCSE, introduced in September 2016, requires pupils to understand and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating when preparing and cooking food. Pupils learn about bread when studying food groups, where they could learn about the nutritional benefits of wholemeal. Similarly, they develop dough making skills in the preparation section of the course, allowing them to learn about traditional bread making. The importance of healthy eating is also included in the science curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. Healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions. The statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex and Health Education includes content on the importance of daily exercise, good nutrition and the risks associated with an inactive lifestyle, including obesity. Oak National Academy will be providing a fully resourced curriculum for key stage 1 to key stage 3 for food and nutrition. This will align with the national curriculum and also Oak’s guiding principles, which focus on the knowledge and skills specific to food and nutrition. In addition, the standards for school food are set out in the requirements for school food regulations 2014, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england. These regulations are to ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day. The standards require bread, with no added fat or oil, to be available every day. The ‘School food standards practical guide’ encourages use of wholegrain varieties of starchy foods, as well as using at least half wholemeal or granary flour when making bread, puddings, cakes, biscuits, batters and sauces. The ‘School food standards practical guide’ can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/school-food-standards-practical-guide#the-standards-for-school-lunch.

Department for Business and Trade

Gratuities

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what (a) steps she is taking and (b) discussions she has had to support businesses prepare for the full implementation of the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023.

Kevin Hollinrake: In recent months, the Department for Business and Trade has met with a range of business representative organisations, as well as other stakeholders, to discuss the new tipping legislation and address any remaining concerns. Businesses and other stakeholders also had the opportunity to respond to the public consultation. The responses are currently being analysed to inform the final version of the statutory Code of Practice.The final version of the Code will be published in the coming weeks, to ensure businesses have sufficient time to ensure they are compliant, ahead of coming into force in the summer.

Business: South Holland and the Deepings

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of funding provided to businesses in South Holland and the Deepings constituency during the covid-19pandemic through the (a)Retail,Hospitalityand Leisure Grant Fund, (b) Small Business Grant Fund and (c)Local AuthorityDiscretionary Grant Fund.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the government department responsible for the Covid-19 Business Support Grant Programme following the recent machinery of Government changes, and closure of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has published statistics here: all-business-support-covid-grants-by-la, which give details of the following information for Covid-19 Business Support Grant schemes:(1.) total grant allocation awarded by Government to the Local Authority.(2.) total number of individual grant awards made by the Local Authority; and(3.) total value of grant awards made by the Local Authority.Detail is provided for South Holland District Council as follows:Local AuthorityAllocation (LADGF)Number of Payments (LADGF)Value of Payments (LADGF)Allocation (SBGF & RHLGF)Number of payments (SBGF & RHLGF)Value of payments Number of payments (SBGF & RHLGF)South Holland District Council£990,750151£990,750£19,815,0001,503£17,475,000This is the lowest level of geographic detail that DBT holds – if detail at ward level is required then the District Council would have to be approached for this information. Similarly, if a split between the LADGF and RGHLG is required the District Council would have to be approached for this information.

Exports

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which industries have seen a reduction in exports since 31 January 2020; and what proportion those exports have reduced by.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which sectors have seen a reduction in exports since 31 January 2020; and what estimate she has made of the impact on GDP of those reductions by sector.

Greg Hands: UK trade statistics experienced higher levels of volatility between 2019 and 2022, due to the pandemic, global recession, supply chain disruption, EU Exit, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, price inflation, and data collection changes. Hence the department uses 2018 as the most recent stable baseline when comparing trends over time. Over this period (2018 to 2023) and after adjusting for inflation, UK exports of services rose £44bn (13%) and exports of goods (excluding precious metals) fell £45bn (-12%). With goods exports to the EU down £22bn (-13%) and down £22bn (-12%) to non-EU countries.Changes in UK exports by commodity groups and service types are published by the ONS in their monthly UK trade publication. In 2023 compared to 2018, UK GDP increased by £80bn (4%) in real terms. This was driven by an £84bn (5%) increase for the services sector. We have not estimated how much of this was due to any change in exports.

Trade Agreements: India

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her planned timetable is for the signing of a UK-India trade agreement.

Greg Hands: Progress has been made on negotiating a free trade agreement with India, closing the majority of chapters and making headway on the outstanding issues. Only the most complex issues remain open, with talks focused on goods, services, and investment.The Government remains focused on securing a deal in the best interests of the British people and economy. It has always been about the deal and not the date.Officials are expected to continue talks during India's pre-election period.

Postage Stamps: Prices

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment her Department has made of the planned increase in the cost of first class stamps on the affordability of the postal service.

Kevin Hollinrake: It is the responsibility of Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to ensure that the universal postal service is affordable for customers as well as being efficient and financially sustainable. Royal Mail must work within Ofcom's regulatory framework, including the current price cap that prevents second class post rising above inflation, to ensure the availability of a basic affordable universal service.Ofcom recently reviewed the safeguard caps and announced on 24 January 2024 that it would retain the safeguard cap on second class standard and large letters and not allow the safeguard cap to rise higher than CPI inflation.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Mental Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that the sanctions regime does not disadvantage those who experience mental health challenges.

Jo Churchill: Customers in the No Work Related Requirements Group, for example those with a severe mental health condition or disability, are not subject to conditionality requirements and therefore not subject to sanctions. Customers are only ever sanctioned if they fail to meet their agreed requirements without good reason and they are given every opportunity to explain why they failed to meet their agreed conditionality requirement before a decision is made. We recognise the importance of understanding how a mental health condition impacts someone’s ability to search for or prepare for work and Claimant Commitments are set in discussion with the claimant and tailored to their capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many starts have been recorded for the Youth Offer in (a) Greater London, (b) Bexley Borough and (c) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency as of 21 March 2024.

Mims Davies: The Youth Offer launched 20 September 2020 and provides support for 16–24-year-olds who are on Universal Credit to help them move into employment. It includes three elements:The Youth Employment Programme, which provides young people dedicated intensive Work Coach support in finding & applying for jobs, with additional assistance available for those who have recently begun their Universal Credit claim.Youth Hubs, which bring together in one location DWP services with local support provided by youth experts. This ensures that the needs of young people are matched to services that help them tackle barriers to employment.Youth Employability Coaches, who are focused on supporting young people furthest from the labour market overcome complex challenges so that they can move into work. As of 01 March 2024, there have been 1,123,000 starts on the Youth Offer. Starts in the requested areas can be found in the table below. The number of Youth Offer starts in (a) Greater London, (b) Bexley Borough and (c) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency as of 1st March 2024Greater London166,800Bexley3,700Bexleyheath and Crayford1,500  A claimant may take part on the Youth Offer multiple times. Each of these starts is recorded as a start on the Youth Offer.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. Therefore, the individual elements in the table may not sum to the total figure.Figures are subject to retrospective revision.Youth Offer starts are categorised as “unknown” in cases where limited data is available.The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Attached are tables listing the number of Youth Offer starts to date by Region, Local Authority and Parliamentary Constituency.Youth Offer Starts (xlsx, 43.2KB)

Employment: Autism

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to make an autism assessment on employment rates.

Mims Davies: There are no plans for DWP to make this specific assessment. Whilst we recognise the importance of early identification of autism, a diagnosis is not required to be eligible for reasonable adjustments and the provision of workplace support. These are made, in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, based on functional need. We are, as you know, encouraging employers to adopt more neuro-inclusive working practices, which benefit neurodiverse employees irrespective of whether they have a diagnosis. The SoS and I were delighted to see the launch of your excellent Review into Autism Employment on the 28th of February, which has created a focus for action to improve the recruitment and retention of autistic people. It has identified workplace barriers, and the working practices and initiatives that can reduce them, to create a more inclusive working environment for autistic employees and autistic jobseekers.We now look towards supporting how the 19 recommendations in the report can be implemented to encourage a more neuro-inclusive culture in the workplace.This is supported by Disability Confident, our scheme to increase employers’ understanding of how to recruit, retain and support disabled employees and the Support with Employee Health and Disability online service which guides employers through health and disability scenarios at work, including making reasonable adjustments.

Mining: Industrial Diseases

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution by the Leader of the House in Business Questions on 21 March 2024, what progress his Department has made on the case of MrAnthonyRock.

Mims Davies: I cannot comment on individual cases for data protection reasons. A response to your letter of 22 February 2023, was sent to you on 11 March 2023 advising you of the actions we were taking on your constituent’s claim.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Standing Charges

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the daily standing charges for gas and electricity in Ofgem's (a) Yorkshire and (b) Northernregions.

Amanda Solloway: DESNZ Ministers and officials regularly discuss with Ofgem issues relating to the energy retail market.Standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, although Ofgem regulates standing charges as they do with other elements of billing. This includes setting a cap on standing charges as part of the overall default tariff cap.The variance in standing charge is mainly due to regional differences in energy distribution costs. These costs reflect the expenses of maintaining and upgrading the distribution network in a specific area, and the number of consumers those costs are spread across. On 30 March, my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State and I wrote to the Chief Executive of Ofgem, highlighting the importance of keeping standing charges as low as possible.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Technology: Research

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how she plans to promote research into new models of (a) assessment and (b) support.

Andrew Griffith: The government’s November 2023 ‘Response to the Independent Review of the RDI Organisational Landscape’ announced the creation of a new Metascience Unit, jointly run across the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), with an initial funding commitment of £10m. The unit will deliver a competitive grants programme and will also conduct experiments to test and robustly evaluate the effectiveness of changes in the funding processes delivered by UKRI.This programme of work is intended to generate evidence on more effective ways of funding and supporting scientific research.

Breast Cancer: Research

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if her Department will meet with the Lobular Moon Shot Project to discuss lobular breast cancer research.

Andrew Griffith: I have recently met with the Lobular Moon Shoot Project to discuss how government can support lobular breast cancer research.

Social Media: Mental Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with social media companies on the potential effects of social media on mental health.

Saqib Bhatti: Ministers hold regular meetings and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including social media platforms, on a range of issues. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website. While most children have a positive experience online, using the internet to connect with peers and to access educational resources, information, and entertainment, the government is concerned about the impact of harmful and age-inappropriate content and activity online. The Online Safety Act places robust, much-needed responsibilities on technology companies – including social media platforms – to keep all users, but particularly children, safe online.

Attorney General

Zane Gbangbola

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Attorney General, if she will apply to the High Court to order a new investigation into the death of Zane Gbangbola during flooding in 2014.

Robert Courts: The Surrey Senior Coroner has already carried out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Zane Gbangbola’s death, taking into account a considerable amount of evidence. The Coroner, as an independent judicial office holder, drew his own conclusions based on this evidence. If there is a belief that the evidence was not considered properly during the original inquest, or that there is new evidence available, the correct process is for an application to be made to the Attorney General asking her to apply to the High Court to quash the inquest and order a fresh investigation. The High Court would take this course of action if it believed that it would be in the interests of justice. If the Hon Member or the victim’s family would like to make such an application to the Attorney General, they are welcome to contact the Attorney General’s Office at correspondence@attorneygeneral.gov.uk for information and guidance on how to apply.